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Marlow Review EST. 1892 • Marlow, Oklahoma • Volume 177 • Issue 5 • 1 Section, 10 Pages • $1.00
Thursday, February 4, 2021
100 DAYS CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION
Central High’s Curry Retiring
Students gathered at Marlow Elementary School to release 100 balloons last Wednesday in celebration of 100 days of school. Each had a tag requesting that if the balloon were found, the recipient would write to the class. The school has not had to close during the COVID-19 pandemic other than scheduled “virtual days” during the fall semester. Central High AgEd teacher Ron Curry announced his retirement last month. His 43-year career will be celebrated on February 14 at 1:30pm at the Stephens County Fairgrounds. Curry was the Central High School Teacher of the Year in 1998 and has received multiple stateand national-level awards, most recently the 2020 National Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Service Citation Award. Curry has had 20 students receive scholarships from the National FFA Foundation, 10 students earn scholarships from Oklahoma Youth Expo, and has shepherded 194 successful state FFA degree recipients and 20 American FFA degree recipients.
TUESDAY’S ELECTION:
Information you need Voters will go to the polls Tuesday for the February 09 City of Marlow and Ringling Public Schools elections, Stephens County Election Board Secretary Angela Dunagan said today. Please keep the following information and tips in mind as the election approaches. - Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Lines are possible at peak voting times. Wait times will likely be shortest at mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Anyone in line to vote at 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. - Anyone who needs to look up their polling place, verify their registration information, or view a sample ballot can do so online. The Online Voter Tool can be accessed on the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website: www.oklahoma. gov/elections . Those who vote by mail can also check the status of their ballot using the Online Voter Tool. Sample ballots are also available at the County Election Board office. - Oklahoma law requires every voter who votes in person at the precinct polling place or during early voting at the County Election Board to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot. There are three ways for voters to prove their identity under the law (only one proof of identity is required): Show a valid photo ID issued by federal, state, or tribal government; or show the free voter identification card issued to every voter by the County Election Board; or sign an affidavit and vote a provisional ballot. (If the information on the affidavit matches official voter registration records, the ballot will be counted after Election Day.) For additional election-related information, visit: www.oklahoma.gov/elections.
LOCAL WEATHER
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FRI 2/5
SAT 2/6
SUN 2/7
MON 2/8
TUE 2/9
WED 2/10
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Prater, Waller on Mayoral Ballot Tuesday
Elizabeth Pitts-Hibbard The Marlow Review
Two mayoral candidates, Jeff Prater and Michael Waller, will appear on Tuesday’s election ballot, and although the two have differing amounts of experience in city government, they both have the same goal: community service and community involvement. Incumbent Jeff Prater said that his first run for City Council was inspired by the desire to serve after retiring from the Volunteer Fire Department after 27 years. “Working with the fire department was a thrill,” Prater said. “But it also gave me a passion for service, and compassion for my fellow community members. I still wanted to serve in some way.” That led to Prater’s six years on the City Council and Municipal Authority Board of Trustees, ultimately putting him in the Mayor seat in 2020 after Brian Davis stepped down from the position. “Those six years have been eye-opening. I’ve learned so much about how a city is run,” Prater said. “You don’t just have a blank checkbook, it’s a big system of responsibility. You can’t always please
everyone so you make the best decision for all.” Asked about what he thought was the biggest issue facing Marlow today, Prater said that most residents would bring up road conditions. “We have a strategic plan that gives us a resurfacing project every two years, but I know when it’s not happening on your street it feels like forever before yours comes up,” Prater said. He also emphasized the importance of fiscal planning and responsibility, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Marlow is lucky, because our forefathers set us up for our own income through utilities rather than just relying on our tax base,” Prather said. “With COVID, we’ve had to change our ten-year plan in some directions just to make sure we were reacting to changes in revenue. We always have to be fiscally responsible so that we can keep the City going, keep City people employed.” Prater also said that serving on the planning committee for the renewal of the $.01 sales tax showed him that there are opportunities to improve the area, such as
a sidewalk project or another splash pad, but there also needs to be a plan to maintain the “shining jewels” that Marlow already has, like The Hideout playground in Red Bud Park. “The Hideout, it’s getting older. It’s going to need repairs regularly, and it may need to be replaced soon,” Prater said. “We have to look at who’s going to plan that, where the money comes from, who’s going to do the work? It’s going to take community involvement to make that happen.” Waller feels the same way about parks and community input, and that’s part of what inspired him to throw his hat in the ring for the Mayor position. “A while back, I went to a City Council meeting because I didn’t want an area across the street from my house to be rezoned,” Waller said. “I realized that getting involved is something that I wanted to do.” A lifelong resident of Stephens County, Waller said that his priority if elected would be to rally the community to maintain parks and public spaces that he feels are beginning to “slip.” “Marlow’s a nice town,
and we need to keep it that way,” Waller said. “The role of Mayor is to be a cheerleader for Marlow, inspire people to community activism.” Waller used the example of volunteers helping to maintain Eddie Palmer Park so that youth baseball could continue, including grooming the six baseball fields. “That’s volunteers and parents working with city employees to keep something nice and make it better,” Waller said. “As a community, we need to look around, get a volunteer effort going. We need to put some sweat equity into maintaining what we’ve got.” Waller also said that he hopes voter turnout momentum seen in recent elections will continue for this one, and that voters will continue to be involved in the process. “People are active and engaged,” Waller said. “Voting at the local level is the easiest and most effective way to be involved in local government.” Prater agreed. “Get out and vote,” he said. “Show your interest in city government, be active in your city.” Polls are open on Tuesday, February 9 from 7am – 7pm.
Stephens County Republicans Hold County Convention and Precinct Meetings The Stephens County GOP will hold precinct meetings and county convention on Thursday, February 11 at 6pm in the Duncan Chamber of Commerce Auditorium at 911 W. Walnut Ave in Duncan.
The agenda for precinct meetings includes election of precinct officers (two-year terms), election of county delegates, and discussion of resolutions and platform planks to be considered at the county convention.
The county convention, which begins at 7pm and will be chaired by Senator Anthony Sykes, will include nomination and election of county officers as well as election of state convention delegates. Senator Darrell Weaver
(SD24) will be the keynote speaker. Questions regarding the meetings and convention may be directed to Leon Farris, Stephens County GOP chairman, at 580-656-7951.